6. Mai

And now here he was, standing in my fucking doorway.

Ryan. My Ryan.

No! Not mine. Never mine.

My wolf was clamoring inside me. She wanted to go to him, to be kissed and touched in a way that she never wanted with Seth. I reined her in, but it hurt more than my broken arm or twisted knee. He'd rejected me, and now he was just standing there. I could feel his eyes on me, his gaze piercing through me.

"Ryan," I whispered. Shit, I so wasn't ready to see him again. I didn't think I'd ever be ready to see him again.

Ryan looked me up and down, his arms crossed over his chest, his blue eyes laser-sharp in their gaze. He wore blue jeans and a black T-shirt that stretched tight across his broad chest. Muscles bulged in his arms; not the sculpted muscle built by weightlifting. No, this was powerful muscle corded into shape by hours of fighting and ripping through his opponents. His jaw was clenched so tight I thought he might break his teeth.

Goddess, he looked good. His dark hair was shorter than I remembered, only about an inch long on top. It made him seem more severe, less the boy I knew, more manly somehow. His face was hard, and a muscle twitched in his cheek when his eyes passed over my injuries. His whole body was rigid and tight, like he was desperately trying to hold himself back from moving. Yet his presence seemed to invade the whole space. You always knew when Ryan was in the room; you could feel his energy spreading out and taking all the available oxygen.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Your brilliant plan didn't take into account that Jem's the Alpha now. He feels it when any of us come into his territory."

Right. For a milli-second, I regretted not cutting my bond to the Three Rivers Pack. After I left, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I figured if I just shoved it down inside and pretended it wasn't there, then I wouldn't need to think about it. I knew that if an Alpha concentrated on a Pack member, they would know exactly where we were within our territory. It was something about the magic of the Pack bonds and the link to our land, our territory. But this nifty little trick didn't cross the boundaries of our land. I knew when I left that if I just made it to our border, then Oliver couldn't track me. So, I'd never seen the need to sever the bond. It wouldn't have kept me safer.

Of course, Seth had despised it. He hated that his Alphas had given me long-term resident status in the Cocrane Pack and let me live and work there without needing to bond to their Pack. It was common enough in Cocrane. The city was a haven for people like me, those passing through, trying out life in a Pack to see if we liked it. Most joined the Pack eventually, and their policy of no pressure meant drifters like me had the time to put down roots, learn to like the place, and then feel comfortable joining.

It drove Seth up the wall that I hadn't joined his Pack. I didn't tell him I came from the Three Rivers, but he'd ordered me to cut my previous bond and join the Cocrane Pack. I'd refused, but he kept at it. In the end, we'd been having daily arguments about it. I hadn't wanted to give up my freedom, hadn't wanted to be tied down to another Pack. I liked the fact that I didn't belong to any and could leave if I wanted to. But there was no way I was going to be reclaimed by the Three Rivers Pack, either. I'd worked too hard forgetting about this place.

I shook my head at Ryan. "Us? I'm not one of you. I'm not part of this Pack."

Ryan lifted one eyebrow. "You're Jem's sister. You"ll always be part of this Pack."

Right. Jem's little sister. That's all I'd ever be. Anger surged up. Just because Jem and I shared the same blood, that didn't mean I was part of his Pack. Of all people, Ryan should have known this. He rejected me, had driven me away. Or had he forgotten?

"Besides, if you really didn't want to be part of this Pack, you'd have severed your bond. That Jem felt it when you came back means it's still there, Mai. You still want us."

That cut a little too close to home and veered into an area I'd spent the last four years purposefully not thinking about. I had to change the course of this conversation. I stood up, using the edge of the couch to help me. I didn't want to be sitting lower than Ryan right now.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I said in a bored tone, "What do you want, Ryan? What are you even doing here?"

I swear to the Goddess, for a moment, it looked like his head was going to explode. His nostrils flared, taking in my scent. His gaze hovered on my cuts and bruises, and a green sheen flashed in his eyes. His fists were clenched so tightly that I was pretty sure his nails were going to leave some serious marks on his palms.

"First, I'm taking you to the Pack doctor," he growled. "Then, Jem wants to see you."

I did not think so. "No. No fucking way. I'm not seeing the doctor. I'm not seeing Jem. Hell, I'm not even seeing you." I waved a hand in front of my face. "Look, this is just a bad dream. I'm going to count to three, and poof, you'll be gone." I closed my eyes, hoping he'd take the hint and leave. "One, two, three."

I opened them, and Ryan was standing right in front of me, so close that if I moved more than an inch, my lips would touch his. His scent washed over me, and I couldn't help but breathe it in. I felt dizzy, almost hypnotized by the smell of him. His eyes were blazing with an odd intensity, and his voice was low and rough when he spoke. "You're coming with me, Mai."

Er, no.

I tried to back away from him, but the pain in my knee made me stumble. His hands reached out to steady me. His touch was electric, sending shivers down my spine. For a second, I had the urge to lean into him, to soak up the heat of his body and forget everything else. Damn it. I thought I was over Ryan. He wasn't mine and never would be. I had to remember that. I glared at him and opened my mouth to tell him where to shove it when Sofia, the little traitor, jumped in.

"Ryan's right, Mai. You need to see a doctor."

I shifted my glare to her.

Sofia held up her hands in a don't-blame-me gesture. "You need to get checked out. I'll come with you if you want. Keep the big bad boys off your case?"

I loved her for offering. I took a breath and shook my head. I'd just wanted to hide here for a few days, give myself time to heal and recover. I didn't want anything to do with this Pack. I didn't want to see my brother and his bitch of a mate. I didn't want to deal with Pack politics. I definitely didn't want to see Ryan. But it looked like my plan had blown up, and was raining debris all around me. Fine. They wanted to see me, I'd see them. But I'd show them I wasn't a kid anymore; I wasn't the girl who ran out of here.

"No, it's okay, Sofia. I can handle it."

I lifted my chin, limped past Ryan and out of the door.